SINCERETALK

The Wyoming Republican Party was having a hard time having its precinct committeemen and women actually show up for meetings — but its new solution is likely to be thrown out in court. Local Wyoming news site WyoFile reported recently on bylaws changes approved at a recent Wyoming GOP meeting, in which an elected precinct person can be stripped of their position for not showing up at three meetings over a one-year period. The party approved the change after a wave of no-shows prevented the party from accomplishing basic governance tasks, and Park County GOP State Committeeman Vince Vanata argued the new rule was necessary after multiple precinct people failed to show up to even one meeting over a two-year term. He also maintained that the bylaws change was not about "booting or kicking out people from the party," and that Republicans were "just trying to put a mechanism in place so that we can be an effective organization." READ MORE: 10 GOP state lawmakers b...

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) was shredded on social media Tuesday after the House Judiciary Committee shared his most recent angry letter directed at a prosecutor who levied charges against former President Donald Trump . Tuesday's letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland targets Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the prosecutor who accuses Trump of falsifying business records to cover up adult film star hush money payments ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Specifically, Jordan wants to know about former Justice zdepartment official Matthew Colangelo, hired in 2022 as Bragg's senior counsel . "Given the perception that the Justice Department is assisting in Bragg's politicized prosecution, we write to request information and documents related to Mr. Colangelo's employment," the letter declares. "Mr. Colangelo's recent employment history demonstrates his obsession with investigating a person rather than prosecuting a crime." This a...

Arizona GOP candidate Kari Lake hopes to secure a US senate seat this year with the help of her longtime ally — Donald Trump — but the ex-president's support isn't promised, according to The Washington Post . In January, Arizona Republican Party Chairman Jeff DeWit abruptly resigned after Lake " warned that she would 'leak additional recordings of their private conversations.' When she later publicly endorsed fellow MAGA supporter Gina Swoboda to replace DeWit during a Republican event, Lake " was met with 'boos and jeers as she took the stage.'" READ MORE: This judge is showing Kari Lake that the courts are 'not a toy' for 'partisan theatrics': journalist The Post reports : Trump’s top advisers were furious after a Lake ally released a recording of then-Arizona GOP Chairman Jeff DeWit encouraging her to stay out of the Senate race, which embarrassed the party chairman and led him to resign . Trump was more surprised th...

Today, I want to bring your attention to a subtext beneath every discussion about “abnormal politics” in this year’s election. That subtext is nearly always about Donald Trump. This is understandable. He’s the only candidate in our lifetimes who has openly said he wants to be a dictator “on day one” and warns of a “bloodbath” if he loses. But “abnormal politics” also applies to Joe Biden, to wit: I have never seen a more combative Democratic presidential nominee, incumbent or challenger. Perhaps the last one was Hubert Humphrey, in 1968, before I was born, or maybe Lyndon Johnson before that. That’s debatable, but what’s not is everyone is used to seeing a Republican “punch” a Democrat. No one used to seeing a Democrat “punch” back. Consider last weekend’s main event, the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner. I couldn’t believe Biden’s opener : “I want to thank you for the warm welcome, but please. Not so loud . Donald is listening. ‘Sleepy Don’ – I kinda like that. I might u...

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R) could potentially kiss her chances of becoming Donald Trump's running mate goodbye, after The Guardian reported the right-wing leader's new book reveals that she once killed her own dog. "Cricket was a wirehair pointer, about 14 months old," Noem wrote, according to The Guardian, "adding that the dog, a female, had an 'aggressive personality' and needed to be trained to be used for hunting pheasant." In a Monday, April 29 article, Rolling Stone reports that several Trump allies are hoping the story of killing her dog takes her chance of becoming the MAGA hopefuls vice president completely off the table. READ MORE: 'Brutality is the point': SD governor may have thought dog-killing story would impress Trump Rolling Stone reports one source close to the former president's campaign " told Semafor that Noem 'just keeps proving over and over that she’s a lightweight.'" The publi...

Despite recent surveys predicting that the ANC will lose its majority in the upcoming elections, party president Cyril Ramaphosa is optimistic, urging observers to "watch the space!" from News24 News24/TopStories/rss https://ift.tt/JuaECpU via sinceretalk

Tammy Petersen returns to her home town of Eerste River and finds a community grappling with the realities of unemployment and crime, but she also finds residents who still hope for a better future. from News24 News24/TopStories/rss https://ift.tt/8ropmU2 via sinceretalk

South African taxpayers are bearing the cost of a massive airlift between Upington in the Northern Cape, Bloemfontein in the Free State, Waterkloof in Gauteng and Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), transporting tons of weaponry and h from News24 News24/TopStories/rss https://ift.tt/xmJg6Iv via sinceretalk

A struggling municipality in Limpopo spent at least R5 million on building a gravel culvert bridge to link Majeje and Humulani villages, allegedly without conducting a high-risk assessment. from News24 News24/TopStories/rss https://ift.tt/0KVbuh7 via sinceretalk

The head of department disapproved of the suggested figures, arguing it was too expensive from News24 news24/TopStories/rss https://ift.tt/Q0Gjo2f via sinceretalk

Former insider opens criminal case, claiming MKP submitted fraudulently obtained jobseeker identities to IEC. from News24 news24/TopStories/rss https://ift.tt/fCRa6sL via sinceretalk

A series of polls released this week show Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s quixotic candidacy might attract more Republican-leaning voters in 2024 than Democrats. That may have been what prompted former President Donald Trump to release a three-post screed attacking him. On Friday night, The 45th president of the United States set his sights on RFK Jr. , insisting to his millions of followers that the independent presidential candidate was actually a "Radical Left Liberal" who was secretly working to help President Joe Biden's reelection campaign. He even attempted to assign Kennedy one of his patented nicknames: "Junior,'" notably with an unexplained apostrophe that he repeated throughout all three posts. "A Vote for Junior' would essentially be a WASTED PROTEST VOTE, that could swing either way, but would only swing against the Democrats if Republicans knew the true story about him," Trump wrote. READ MORE: 'Whole thing is an epic fraud...

Friday marked former First Lady Melania Trump's 54th birthday, which was made more awkward by the fact that she spent it without her husband — who was in court defending himself from allegations that he covered up payments to women to keep quiet about extramarital affairs with him. Stephanie Grisham, who was chief of staff to the former president's wife during her time in the White House's East Wing, said during a Friday interview on CNN that Melania's absence from the trial proceedings is likely not a coincidence. "I'm sure she's not happy about it," Grisham said. "It's not fun to hear these details." READ MORE: 'Friendzoned by your wife': Trump mocked after Melania seen taking separate car at funeral Grisham told CNN that because the details Pecker revealed on the stand were not previously known to the public, they were also not previously known to Melania Trump. She added that the video Trump posted to social media cele...

Former President Donald Trump's campaign is seizing on a new opportunity after the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) issued a ruling last month easing restrictions on coordination between political campaigns and outside groups. Politico reported Friday that Trump's 2024 campaign is organizing an "entirely off-the-record, private" meeting next week in Palm Beach, Florida with several well-heeled GOP-aligned organizations so they can discuss election-related activity. A letter by Trump campaign political director James Blair invited the groups to the "invite-only" strategy session, which was described as a "meeting of the political minds" with the goal of sharing "priorities and plans" leading up to November. "Please know that your attendance is considered critical, and your effort to be there would be greatly appreciated," the letter read. READ MORE: 'Huge loophole': Trump-appointed FEC officials make it easier fo...

The US Supreme Court on Thursday heard oral arguments for ex-President Donald Trump's claim that he should have immunity from federal prosecution — and more specifically in special counsel Jack Smith's election interference case against him. According to ABC News, "A decision is expected by June." Political strategist Chai Komanduri spoke with MSNBC's Ari Melber about "the politics of the justices" and how their political views could ultimately shape the ruling. READ MORE: 'Framers would be rolling over': Historian explains 'absurdity' of Trump’s immunity claim "You are here, sir, because I'm not sure we can understand today's argument without understanding the politics of the justices," Melber said to Komanduri. "And, full disclosure, we have [former US Supreme Court] Justice [Stephen] Breyer coming up on the program soon." When you talk openly about political machinations on the court, it's harde...

Democratic U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is responding to Thursday’s U.S. Supreme Court hearing on Donald Trump’s claim he has “absolute immunity” from criminal prosecution because he was a U.S. president, and she delivered a strong warning in response. Trump’s attorney argued before the nation’s highest court that the ex-president could have ordered the assassination of a political rival and not face criminal prosecution unless he was first impeached by the House of Representatives and then convicted by the Senate. But even then, Trump attorney John Sauer argued, if assassinating his political rival were done as an “official act,” he would be automatically immune from all prosecution. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, presenting the hypothetical, expressed, “there are some things that are so fundamentally evil that they have to be protected against.” RELATED: Justices’ Views on Trump Immunity Stun Experts: ‘Watching the Constitution Be Rewritten’ “If the president decides that his ...

Former President Donald Trump made headlines in 2017 after insisting that there were " very fine people on both sides " after the deadly Charlottesville, Virginia "Unite the Right" rally that ended in a violent hate crime. And on Thursday, he brought up Charlottesville once again, this time completely unprompted. After Judge Juan Merchan dismissed Trump and the jury after Thursday's testimony by witness David Pecker, Trump walked out to a gaggle of reporters and offered his impromptu take on the trial and other issues that he's using to define his campaign. At one point, the former president brought up the wave of protests spreading across college campuses in support of Palestinians amid the Israeli assault on Gaza. While Jewish students participating in the protests maintain that demonstrations in support of Gaza aren't anti-Semitic , Trump nonetheless seized on reports of Jewish students feeling unsafe as justification to broadly label the prote...

Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and ex-Donald Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani are among a group of 18 individuals indicted Wednesday by an Arizona grand jury on "felony counts of conspiracy, fraud and forgery," according to Politico . The Trump allies were indicted over their efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Per Politico, Trump has not been charged, and is described in the indictment "as an unindicted co-conspirator." READ MORE: Trump, Giuliani and Meadows revealed as 'unindicted co-conspirators' in MI investigation "Defendants and unindicted coconspirators schemed to prevent the lawful transfer of the presidency to keep Unindicted Coconspirator 1 in office against the will of Arizona’s voters,” the indictment says. The Washington Post reports : Also charged are the Republicans who signed paperwork on Dec. 14, 2020, that falsely purported Trump was the rightful winner, including former state party chair Kelli Ward, state Sens. ...

Over the weekend, the House passed a measure providing billions in military aid to Ukraine – no strings attached. This is long way from where things started. House Speaker Mike Johnson had said, once upon a time, that no aid would go to Ukraine without a solution to “the border crisis.” Johnson almost got what he wanted. Indeed, he almost got what every Republican has wanted for decades, including Donald Trump. In exchange for GOP support of Ukraine funding, the Senate Democrats assembled a “border security” package for which they dropped their traditional demand for a pathway to citizenship for undocumented migrants. They also dropped their old opposition to building a border wall. The eventual bipartisan bill included $650 million for its continued construction. Then Trump ruined it. The man who campaigned on building a border wall in 2016 is the same man who killed, eight years later, the GOP’s best, and perhaps last, chance of finishing one. The Democrats caved to Johnson. Th...

U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) is mocking House Oversight Committee Chairman Jim Comer over a CNN report revealing the embattled Kentucky Republican who has been alleging without proof President Joe Biden is the head of a vast multi-million dollar criminal bribery and influence-peddling conspiracy, has given up trying to impeach the leader of the free world. CNN on Wednesday had reported, “after 15 months of coming up short in proving some of his biggest claims against the president, Comer recently approached one of his Republican colleagues and made a blunt admission: He was ready to be ‘done with’ the impeachment inquiry into Biden.” The news network described Chairman Comer as “frustrated” and his investigation as “at a dead end.” One GOP lawmaker told CNN, “Comer is hoping Jesus comes so he can get out.” “He is fed up,” the Republican added. Despite the Chairman’s alleged remarks, “a House Oversight Committee spokesperson maintains that ‘the impeachment inquiry is ongoi...

Now that day 6 of Donald Trump's New York criminal hush money trial is over, one legal expert is recognizing Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's strategy so far. Former US Attorney Joyce Vance said Tuesday that prosecution team's decision to select former National Enquirer CEO David Pecker to take the witness stand first was the right thing to do. "Was it smart for the prosecution to start with David Pecker thus far?" MSNBC's Katie Phang asked the University of Alabama law professor. READ MORE: 'Uncharted territory': Trump’s Secret Service detail may follow him to prison if convicted "Well, it was smart, Katie, and I am reminded that it was you who first said that you thought David Pecker would be a great kickoff witness," Vance replied. "I think that's the case, right?" Additionally, although former Trump lawyer and "fixer" Michael Cohen is hailed as the star witness, considering his involvement in the h...

Former President Donald Trump last year said that if he's elected a second time, he will order the Department of Justice to investigate his political rivals. In an exclusive Tuesday interview with NBC News, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray — who was appointed by Trump — smacked down Trump's order, saying that he will ensure officials follow protocol no matter what. Wray told NBC's Lester Holt "that, as long as he is FBI director, he is 'going to make sure … we do the right thing in the right way." READ MORE: Trump rails against political rivals during rambling speech at Kimberly Guilfoyle’s birthday party He continued, "And that means following the law, following our rules, staying faithful to our core values, enforcing the law without fear or favor." Following Trump's November declaration that he'd probe his rivals, CBS News reported: NMás journalist and CBS News contributor Enrique Acevedo asked Trum...

If former President Donald Trump is convicted of crimes and sentenced to prison, it's likely his permanent Secret Service detail would follow him to the cell block. Since 1965 , the U.S. Secret Service has been required by statute to protect all former presidents of the United States and their spouses for life, unless they decline protection. This means that Trump could theoretically have his personal security team with him — even if he's an inmate. According to a Tuesday New York Times report , the logistics of incarcerating a former president are already being discussed now that his first criminal trial is officially underway. The topic of how Trump's Secret Service protection would operate in a prison environment initially emerged after this week's gag order hearing in Judge Juan Merchan's courtroom. READ MORE: 'Most dangerous defendant': Ex-federal prosecutor calls for Trump to be jailed pre-trial Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his te...

Republicans in the Tennessee House passed legislation Tuesday afternoon allowing teachers to carry concealed weapons in classrooms across the state, thirteen months after a 28-year old shooter slaughtered three children and three adults at a Christian elementary school in Nashville. The measure is reportedly not popular statewide , with Democrats, teachers, and parents from the school , Covenant Elementary, largely opposed. The Republican Speaker of the House, Cameron Sexton, at one point literally shut down debate on the bill by shutting off a Democratic lawmaker’s microphone and then smiling. — (@) Ultimately, Republican Rep. Ryan Williams’s legislation passed the GOP majority House as protestors in the gallery shouted their objections: “Blood on your hands.” READ MORE: Trump Complains He’s ‘Not Allowed to Talk’ as He Gripes Live on Camera The legislation bars parents from being informed if their child’s teacher has a gun in the classroom. — (@) State Troopers were ca...

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) lashed out at Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) after he agreed to release tapes from the riot of Jan. 6, 2021. Defenders of those charged on Jan. 6 have long believed that the Capitol tapes would show the incident was a protest instead of a riot. However, Greene was unmoved by Johnson's gesture. "You FULLY FUNDED the DOJ that is prosecuting J6 defendants and President Trump !!!" she exclaimed in a post on X (formerly Twitter). You could have defunded these political prosecutions in your omnibus, fired U.S. attorney Matthew Graves, fired Jack Smith, and demanded an end to this." "You could pass my bill the Matthew Perna Act that would allow J6 defendants to move their trials out of DC where they can NEVER receive a fair trial. By the way, that includes Pres Trump!" Greene added. "Stop lying and pandering to these poor people." "Resign!" Johnson said he was fulfilling a promise he made when he became...

Donald Trump lawyers representing the ex-president in his first criminal trial maintain that former Trump lawyer and star witness Michael Cohen's testimony can't possibly be credible due to the fact that he was convicted in 2018 of lying about hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Politico noted last week that "while the prosecution’s ability to prove its case at trial could hinge on Cohen’s first-hand account of the hush money arrangement, Cohen also may be its most problematic witness due to long-running questions about his ability to tell the truth." However, Albany Law School Associate Dean for Research and Intellectual Life Ray Bresca argues in a Monday, April 22 op-ed for the Daily Beast, that the trial is much "bigger" than Cohen's credibility. READ MORE: What the prosecution wants from first hush money trial witness’s testimony: legal expert He writes , "A funny thing happened on the way to the courthouse. The prose...

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake is promoting a conspiracy theory suggesting Hillary Clinton wants to assassinate her. Her remarks came just one day before she lost her attempt to have the Supreme Court review what some have called her conspiracy-theory fueled lawsuit about electronic voting machines. “Lake, who filed the lawsuit during her failed campaign for governor in 2022, challenged whether the state’s electronic voting machines assured ‘a fair and accurate vote.’ Two lower courts dismissed the suit, finding that Lake and former Republican state lawmaker Mark Finchem had not been harmed in a way that allowed them to sue,” CNN reported Monday. Also on Monday Law&Crime reported that when she filed her lawsuit, a Dominion Voting Systems spokesperson “rejected Lake’s cybersecurity claim, telling Law&Crime it was ‘implausible and conspiratorial.'” Also on Monday Law&Crime reported that when she filed her lawsuit, a Dominion Voting Systems spokesperson...